A similar steering column is known from German Patent DE-PS 34 09 986. From this arises a structurally simple arrangement for the angle adjustment of a steering wheel by hand. In addition, a lower housing and an upper housing can be locked with one another in various positions by a connection link that can be actuated by hand from a vehicle guide rod. The connection link has special gear toothing, which acts together with individual teeth on the lower housing and on the upper housing. In the known arrangement, the lower housing and the upper housing are locked with one another in set positions of the steering wheel not only in a nonpositive manner, but also by positive interlocking elements. Thus, an essential safety requirement is fulfilled.
On the other hand, motor-driven, adjustable steering columns, and above all, those with continuous adjustability, are known, for example, from German patents DE-PS 36 38 162 and DE-PS 35 32 102. However, according to these publications, motor-driven, adjustable steering columns are essentially more complicated in structure, and in any case, do not fulfill the requirement for the positive connection of the two housings in the set position of the steering wheel.